Red Rover

Penstemon “Firebird” is hybridized from about half a dozen different plants. Good to know! Prolific bloomer spring through fall, as you can see. It’s common name isn’t really Red Rover, it’s Beard Tongue. Now you know.

They’re a solid perennial, growing to about 3 feet tall, ideal for borders (as they say). You can definitely cut them down severely after the fall blooms are done and they will be thicker next spring, but I usually am lazy about my penstemons and they come back strong anyway. Bay Area gardeners are lucky that way.